


Home

by kolosaskolo



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Earth C (Homestuck), First Kiss, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, POV Dave Strider, Purring Trolls (Homestuck), also this is my first proper fic so sorry if anythings off !!!, dunno how else to tag this sorryyyy, idk man im just having fun, its also very out of character, theres a small bit of rosemary if u squint, water fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 18:44:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11446818
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kolosaskolo/pseuds/kolosaskolo
Summary: What happens when after years of fighting you are finally free to do as you like? You are not trapped with your brother, or on a meteor, or in any battles anymore. You are with your friends on the new Earth. You should be happy. You are at first. Why can't you remain like that?This is basically two fics in one? First part: water fights in a lake. Second part: sad boys talk and cry and kiss.





	Home

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so this is probably really bad? its 6:30 in the morning and i havent slept yet. I havent proof read this either so im reallyy sorry if something doesnt match up. Its also probably very much not in character at ALL tbh. I hope you enjoy !! its my first proper fic so it might not be the best but i hope to improve in time haha  
> (im serious when i say its not in character ._. yikes)
> 
> the diff parts are shown by a squiggle ~ symbol if you want to only read one of them

This is the first time you have felt this peaceful in so long.

Possibly since you were on the meteor with your friends for three years. Sure it was boring and tormenting at times, and surely lonely without Jade or John; yet it was some of the best times in your life.

Your name is DAVE STRIDER and you are finally free.

To be fair you didn't expect this day to ever come. You have fantasized about it numerous times, it got you to keep fighting. Yet you never truly believed in it.  
You are currently walking with Karkat, Rose and Kanaya on a dusty path of your new Earth on a warm summer morning, your mind happy. You can't remember the last time you have felt this safe. The dust picks up on your shoes and you can feel it in the air around you. Young coniferous trees line the sandy path to your destination, if you could call it that. Right now the four of you are just exploring. With Terezi gone looking for Vriska, you've decided to meet up with the remainder of the meteor crew in a small holiday house near a lake. For now, you are in bliss.

Sometimes you still get memories from your past but your friends always manage to help you. Karkat knows how to calm you best. Some nights you sit together in a pile of blankets and pillows, papping and talking out your worries.

Despite this, you are finally safe. Its difficult to be this happy sometimes. Your entire life has been full of danger and you are still waiting for the trick, that this perfect world is deceiving you in some way. Of course you know this is futile, and yet at the back of your mind a voice still makes you stand on guard most of the time.

This is not a time like that. Right now, your mind is relaxed. You can hear birds chirping around you. The sand gets increasingly cooler as you near the water source, as trees gently fade away from your vision. Your sense of touch is grounded by the cooling sand and from Karkat's hand in yours.

Rose suggests you take a short break for now which you eagerly agree to. You watch as she removes the bag from her back and unfolds a large blanket onto the clean sand. Taking off your shoes, you walk into the water.

You've always loved the water. Its a nice change from the scorching days in the city, as well as a nice contrast to being constantly surrounded by a flaming liquid. The cool of the lake is comforting. You stand and you fold your arms, wind blowing your hair in all different directions. Loud splashing tells you that Karkat is coming to join you. 

"HERE, JUST WALK IN LIKE NOTHING MATTERS INTO THIS ICE COLD EARTH JUICE WITHOUT WARNING THE REST OF US OF ITS TERRIFYING FREEZING FEATURES."

You look behind you and snicker. He tries to hide a smile.  
"WHAT, I DID THAT ONE ON PURPOSE. I KNOW WHAT LAKE WATER IS YOU HONEST TO GOG FOOL, I JUST KNOW IT MAKES YOU LAUGH TO USE MADE UP ALTERNIAN PHRASES." He follows your motion and crosses his arms.

"of course you do" you counter as you gently kick in his direction. He shoots you a glare as water splashes on his legs.   
"what, you dont like earth juice?"

You try not to laugh as he angrily kicks water at you. You're not even knee deep and yet he manages to get your shirt wet.   
"SHUT UP!" he yells as you try to avoid his splashes. You jump to your side as your vision gets blurred from tiny droplets on your shades. Damn, that one was close. Karkat doesn't seem to stop as he reaches down and throws water on you now. You try to keep dodging as you watch Kanaya approach. She puts one finger to her lips to tell you to be quiet, other hand holding her skirt up from the surface of the water. You oblige and look to Karkat. You try to splash back in between of his attacks. You laugh as you get his hair.  
"bingo."   
He screeches as it covers his eyes, kicking in what should be your general direction. You jump away but slip, falling backwards into the water.

Laughing all the while, you get your hand up to lift your damp hair from your face. You see him do the same, a satisfied smirk on his face. You are fully soaked and laying in the water, propped up on your arms. Karkat only gets to bask in his victory for a little while before Kanaya gets to him. 

You watch with a grin as she tackles him in a hug as he staggers out of balance and falls face forward. For a second you get worried until he gets the idea to put his arms out to block the fall somewhat. He now glares at you with wide eyes and you feel sorry for Kan to be in this position. This is top quality amusement, you think to yourself. You watch as Karkat swings to his side, throwing Kanaya sideways as she staggers in the water. She lifts her arms in an attempt to re-balance herself, letting go of her skirt. You hear Rose chuckle from the sand and you see Karkat, wet from head to toe, grinning proudly.

Its not too common for Kanaya to get angry and yet now, skirt wet, she jumps and kicks into both your and my direction, turning midair. You don't have to look to see her and Rose's smiles, or you cant, as more water streaks your vision.

Instinct makes you lift your arms to your face, which is the most idiotic thing your body made you ever do. Losing support, you fall back into the water. You try to take a breath too late as you inhale a small bit of water. Getting back over the surface a few seconds later, you cough to try to get it out. Karkat stops flailing around and looks over to you.

He tries to run over, a worried expression crossing his face. You're surprised he doesn't slip. He reaches you and helps you get up as you smile at him. Being taller, dripping water and now standing right next to him, you have an advantage. You drape your arms over his shoulders in a gentle hug. He tries to push your wet body away with a shriek but you hold. He finally realizes his defeat and leans into you. You suppose he still wanted his clothes to be at least a small bit dry.

He mumbles, "I'LL GET YOU BACK SOME DAY FOR THIS" but you can hear in his voice that he isn't actually angry. You just smile as you rock gently from foot to foot, a grumpy Karkat being made sway with you. He pushes you away after a while and gives one last kick at you before looking over to find Kanaya. You try to dodge the water he sends in your direction as you do the same. 

You see her just as she sits down next to Rose on the blanket. You suppose she must have gotten bored. Or she's annoyed at you two for getting her skirt wet. Probably the latter.

You end up floating around a bit before getting out. Your clothes are already wet, so there's no reason for you not to. Karkat returned to the sand after your water fight but he came back shortly after. 

About an hour into this ''short break'' you decide to get out because, honestly, you're starting to lose feeling in your fingers from the cold. You trudge back to the shore with Karkat in tow, shivering as the wind attacks you now that you're upright again. Rose greets you and Karkat with the blanket which she shook out of sand. You use it as a large towel with Karkat as the girls shake the sand away from themselves. You and Karkat find a stone and you sit down on it to avoid getting yourself covered in sand as you stare out to the water. Peace falls upon you.

~

The walk home was nice. You were still slightly damp, but with Karkat beside you sharing your blanket, it wasn't a bother. Rose and Kanaya walked beside you, hands together. The light made you have to squint even through your glasses. The only one seemingly unaffected by the brightness was Rose and you envied her eyes.

You're practically panting once you get home. You don't do well with heat. You are pretty much dry already. With a sigh, you shake off your shoes as you take the blanket and go to hang it up somewhere. You end up chilling with Karkat, your sister and her girlfriend for the rest of the day.

Your name is DAVE STRIDER and you really appreciate your friends right now.

You think it might have been because of the intense heat but you really started feeling bad towards the end of the day.

It's now midnight and you can't sleep.

You pick up your blanket and shuffle towards Karkat's room. You tap on the door before entering, not as a knock but to signal you're coming in. You catch him laying in bed. You can tell he was sleeping but he pretends like he wasn't, sitting up the moment he sees you. He squints a bit through the darkness to find you. You can barely make out the shape of his messy hair. He probably sees you better than you him, considering the fact that he has the advantage of uncovered and nocturnal troll eyes.

He rubs his eyes gently as he tells you to come over to him. His voice is softer than usual, yet still possesses its raspy tone that most trolls have. You weakly move towards his bed after closing his door. You trip up slightly on some clothes on the way and you curse your shades. Kanaya took the bedroom with the recuperacoon but you don't think this is a problem for Karkat. You note how he seems almost calmer now that he's not surrounded by sopor slime. You wince, trying not to think of the clown.

You sit down feebly on the side of his bed. He moves from under the covers and sits down beside you. Leaning down he looks up at your face.

"WHAT'S WRONG, DAVE?"

You simply sigh and shrug.

"IS IT NIGHTMARES AGAIN OR SOMETHING ELSE?" he continues.  
"nah, not that. just having a bad feel ya know", you whisper.

He scoots closer beside you and takes your hand into his own. He leans his head on your shoulder as he strokes your skin with his thumb. His own is rougher and so alien and yet it's one of the most comforting and familiar things you know. You don't know how it's possible for someone with such hard skin to have such soft touches. His hair tickles your neck. You lean against him too.

"IF YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT, I'LL LISTEN," he says quietly.

You simply hum as you turn your head into his hair. You breathe in silence for a few seconds before lifting your head and replying with a quick "maybe later."

He replies with a barely audible "OKAY" as you lower your face again. He lifts your hand and places a small kiss on the palm as he starts to purr. Even like this he can make you feel so much better in such a small amount of time. You don't know what you would do without him.

He is everything to you.

You don't even realize you've started crying until he stops purring and says your name in concern. He leans back and places his hands on your shoulders, one reaching up to your face. You lean into his hand as your own comes to rest on it, cupping it on your cheek. You lift your other hand below your shades as you wipe some tears away, shaking slightly with every breath. 

He reaches over and places his hand beside the frame of your glasses, finding your eyes through them with his own. It's a question. You nod gently as he lifts them off your face carefully. 

You look away as Karkat stands up to place your glasses on his bedside table. Your face heats up as he sits back down and looks back at you. He seems to be studying your face, not leaving a single part unseen. He notices you glancing away in embarrassment so he looks down for a moment, as you wipe your face with your hand. You try to hide your face behind your hand as you remember all the scars littering it from when you weren't good enough a fighter than your brother wanted you to be. You try to divert your attention from those thoughts. You already feel your breathing quickening as your foot taps away nervously. You don't know what to do, where to look, you're lost, he's gone, he's-

You quickly look up when you feel Karkat touch your hand. You jump a bit as he winces and whispers again,   
"SORRY, I DIDN'T MEAN TO DO THAT SO SUDDENLY. ARE YOU OKAY?"

You try to even your breaths as you look at him. He looks so apologetic and you did this and you hurt him and you REALLY have to stop thinking like this. You focus on the thought that he cares about you instead of letting any more guilt invade your thoughts. More tears blur your vision and you let out a shaky breath before falling forward into him. You wrap your arms behind his back as he does the same. You lean your head on his shoulder as he bends his head to rest beside yours. He starts purring again. He places one hand on your back and one on your hair.

The vibrations going through you have an incredible effect on you. It could also be the fact that Karkat's now massaging your back and head gently. He brings a finger up your spine and rubs a circle into it before letting fall to your lower back. He continues rubbing circles on your entire spine as his other hand plays with your hair. You hug him a little bit tighter.

He means so much to you. You don't even know where you would be right now if not for him. Would you even have survived the meteor? Maybe the game would eventually see an end to your pitiful existence as just and let you die. Maybe it wouldn't, and you would rot away for three whole years doing nothing. Rose would probably not let that happen to you but you really doubt that you would be in any way close to this good if not for Karkat.

Every single time you have a problem he helps you get through it. It doesn't fix your problems but it sure as hell helps you get through them. You feel so safe around him it scares you. You're completely vulnerable when you're with him, but he would never do anything to break your trust. Sometimes he needs your help too. At first you really didn't know what to do. You aren't sure how to comfort someone over being called a mutant by society his whole life. He would have been culled if found out. He tried hard to follow the quadrant system too but it's a fucked up thing you've got to admit yourself. You don't think you'd be able to sort your feelings in quadrants either. 

On top of this, he had to watch so many of his friends die. Sometimes he talks about them like they are still there. When you visited the beach you remember he took so many photos of the waves and seashells and anything he could find, saying something about how "FEFERI WOULD LOVE THIS", or when you visited that cat shelter together and he mentioned someone called Nepeta. You know that he blames himself for many of their deaths even though he denies it.

You want to be able to comfort him in the way he comforts you. You know he trusts you too. You want to be able to kiss him and make any of his worries go away. You want to keep him safe from any dangers in this world. You want to keep him safe from his own self destructing thoughts and actions. 

You want to tell him all of this. You want to let him know just how much he means to you, even though you know that no words would ever be enough to show that. You relax your hug on him as he continues purring and massaging you.

"i love you."

The whisper barely leaves your lips and you would have thought he hadn't heard it except for the fact that he stops petting you. His purrs continue but they waver slightly. You hold your breath in fear. You fucked up. 

Sure, you acted as a couple all the time. You did almost everything a couple did except for kissing. Sometimes you would hold him as you both fell asleep. You hold hands. You spent all of your time together for so many years, and you would be comfortable with telling him anything. Yet you still had your doubts.

You feel your face grow cold as you start to panic a bit. He must sense this as he starts stroking your hair and back again. He whispers your name and you can hear a slight uncertainty in it.  
"i'm sorry, i shouldn't have said anything, i promise it's nothing, sorry," you start to ramble quietly.  
He pulls you closer and you can hear his voice shake when he speaks next.

"I THINK I LOVE YOU TOO."

You feel like your heart skipped a beat. You shut your eyes tightly as more tears threaten to fall. You start to shake as you cry, and he holds you, and you cry together. You don't even know why you're crying anymore. Be it from happiness, sadness, fear, stress, he is here and he is with you, and he loves you.   
And god, you love him too.

You only let go of the hug when your back is sore from leaning forward for so long. You stretch and yawn as he looks at you with a small smile. You smile back at him weakly, face still wet with tears as you wipe your eyes and nose. You feel like a mess but hey, at least you have Karkat.

Then he tells you that you're beautiful and you feel like crying all over again but you're so tired of that so you just sit silently as your face grows warm. You can feel a headache coming from all the crying but you try to ignore it. The butterflies in your stomach make it easy to focus on something else.

You laugh a bit and your shoulders shake. You can see that he's blushing too.  
"you're not so bad yourself," you shrug as you grin at him.  
He replies with "OH, SHUT IT STRIDER."

You mentally high five yourself as you hear him say that. You know he only ever calls you Strider when he's joking around or teasing. This means that the awkwardness between you has lessened a bit.

You decide that it's tonight or never. You already confessed your undying love to him, like a fair maiden in the sunset to her lover as she looks out to the distance, so you decide to ask him.  
"have you ever kissed anyone?"

Now it's his turn to go red as he stares at you, mouth hanging slightly open. His purring has stopped. He licks his lips and looks down.   
"YEA, MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE. IT WAS VERY LONG AGO THOUGH. I'M NOT SURE IF IT EVEN COUNTS AS A PROPER KISS ANYWAYS."  
He looks up at you again and asks, "YOU?"  
You reply, "i think so, i can't really remember."   
"WOULD YOU LIKE TO REMEMBER?"

You pause for a moment. You hadn't expected that.  
"you mean like, if i-"  
"I MEAN IF YOU WOULD WANT TO REMEMBER ANY AT ALL NOT JUST ANY PREVIOUS ONES-"  
"as in recent ones too or..."  
"YES I MEAN ANY ONES BUT I-"  
"i mean i don't know if-"  
"IF YOU WANT TO I COULD HELP Y- I MEAN FUCK, I,"  
"you mean help remember? because if you mean that then-"  
"I MEAN IF YOU DON'T WANT TO OR ANYTHING OBVIOUSLY THAT'S NO PROBLEM AND-"  
"fuck! karkat?"

He stops and meets your eyes with concern. His face is covered with a blush so strong that you didn't think it was possible. He looks adorable.  
"karkat, say if right now i kissed you, not that i will or anything, how would you react?" you ask. You can hear your heart pounding at the speed of light and your cry session still weighs on your mind in the form of a headache. You feel light and worried.   
"I.." he begins. He fidgets with his hands. "I WOULD... KISS BACK. AND I WOULD ALSO SAY SOME FUCKING SAPPY SHIT TOO, LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO IN EVERY MOVIE. IT WOULD BE CHEESY AND TERRIBLE AND," he drops his hands, "AND IT, IT WOULD BE NICE."

And you have to agree. So you lean forward very slowly. You can hear your pulse in your ears and your palms are probably sweating. You feel gross and cliché and very nervous. You stop halfway, scared to go further. You close your eyes. You wait a few terrifying, agonizing seconds and you're almost going to move back before you feel a soft pair of lips on yours, and holy shit he's kissing you.

You tilt your head gently as you move. He starts purring again and you can feel the vibrations on your lips. You hold his face with your hand now, you can't even remember when you brought it there. You feel fluttery as you two move together, lips locked softly. You move slowly, both of you being inexperienced but not wanting to rush too much. Your noses bump a few times and he has to move away for a second to honest to gog just giggle. You feel like you're about to melt. You have never seen anything this adorable. You can feel his hot breath on your lips as you look down to his. He gently bites his lower lip. He leans in again and it's heaven all over again as you connect. You move more passionately this time. He licks at you and bites your lip gently and you can't stop a small whine. He has his arms wrapped around you and is pulling you closer all the time, you both want to be closer but you physically can't. You love him. He tastes like home.

You don't stop until you are both unable to breathe properly. He leans his head forward and you rest your foreheads against each other. He's panting and laughing gently and purring and its the most beautiful sounds you've ever heard. From this close you can see the tiny freckles covering his cheeks and nose. His eyes are starting to have flecks of red in them, contrasting against the soft orange. He looks down and you can see every single one of his eyelashes. You look down at his lips which are swollen and wet and just beautiful. He breathes heavily as do you.

In a few seconds you both move in again. This time you are slow again, and it's short and simple. Before pulling away completely you give him a quick kiss on the nose, and then his forehead, and his cheeks. He's giggling again as he pushes you away.

You feel light as you sit back. You give him a small smile as he grins in return. He kicks his legs and looks down at them, before back at you.

"SO, WHAT WAS THAT THING YOU WANTED TO TALK ABOUT?"  
"maybe later. right now im exhausted. sleep?"  
"PLEASE."

You shuffle on the bed and lay down. He gets back to his own spot under his covers.

"I NEVER SAID YOU COULD SLEEP HERE," Karkat says in a yawn.   
You have practically fallen asleep the moment you hit the pillow and so you just hum. He chuckles, gives you one last kiss on your hair, and settles down beside you. You move over to hug him from behind. His continued purrs act like a lullaby to you as you gently drift away.

~

 

You wake up in a room that is not yours, and sit up. An initial confusion is replaced by memories of the night before. Karkat is still asleep beside you. His breathing is steady and slow. You lay back down and put your arm over him again. 

Your name is DAVE STRIDER and you have finally found your home.

**Author's Note:**

> HHHH THIS WAS PROB SUPER OUT OF CHARACTER ANd im sorry. if you actually read through this whole thing then i hope you enjoyed it haha. i know its prob v cheesy and cliche but *le shrug*. also if you know any mistakes i made or how i could improve please let me know !! i know i tend to phrase sentences very similarly but ive no clue how to fix it. sorry if that made it less good or smth aaaaa ANYWAYS !! thanks for reading dont forget to like comment subsc


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